0 seconds
The driver puts on the car as if it were clothing - in this case, a jacket
and pair of boots. The carsuit is made of high-density programmed nanodevices
that expand into a vehicle within seconds. The driver might activate the
transformation by pressing a button in the jacket pocket or by using mental
commands that are read by a wireless brain-wave scanner.

3 seconds
The jacket forms a rigid shell that's enveloped in an expanding, cloudlike
structure. The car's rigid mechanical elements are protected by a flexible
outer layer of air-gripping molecules, which stabilize and position the
vehicle relative to other objects in its environment. The boots emit an
electrical charge that shoots out in front of the vehicle to direct the
growth of the needle root, a network of nanomechanisms that forms the
backbone of the car and navigates around obstacles.

6 seconds
As the vehicle takes shape, the driver is pulled into a Barcalounger position.
Each carsuit contains enough mass to create a one-passenger vehicle. A
larger vehicle could be formed from the combined mass of its passengers'
carsuits (think of it as carpooling - literally). Similarly, someone headed
away for a weekend ski trip might put on a backpack module, in addition
to the standard carsuit, to create space for equipment.

9 seconds
The rigid shell closes around the cell. Windows aren't necessary because the
car can navigate autonomously. But if the driver wants to view the road ahead,
a 360-degree feed (from a 3-D camera at the car's front end) projects the
passing landscape onto the flexible digital screen lining the car's interior.
Passengers can also pull up news, a movie, or other information.

12 seconds
As the vehicle accelerates, it continues to expand, becoming lighter relative
to its size, but not increasing in mass.